This holiday season, C&B Café serves up its first-ever pies

Photos and story by Stacie Joy 

When I heard that neighborhood fave baker Ali Sahin of C&B Café was testing holiday pie recipes, I immediately ran over to the space on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B to get a sneak peek. I love pie! 

Ali is working with baker Daniel Villalobos (below left), who created the pumpkin pie that is now available for purchase.

These whole 9-inch pies are for sale up until the weekend before Thanksgiving. (This coming weekend!)

Ali says they "generously feed eight people." The pies are $30 each, available with torched meringue or not — your call.

The best way to order is through Instagram DM, but you can also do so in person at the shop or by emailing Ali@candbnyc.com.

So... why pies, and why now? 

"We needed a little change, I felt a bit stagnant," Ali said of his C&B offerings. "I wanted a change in our pace." 

I noted that the crust appeared puffier than you'd see on a traditional pie. Daniel explained it was "not a laminated dough like puff pastry, but a flakier crust, made with all (high butterfat) butter, no lard."

He added that the pumpkin filling "had a bit of mascarpone cheese, plus spices like ginger."
 

The taste-testing went well...

After Thanksgiving, you can expect to see more pie options. Ali and Daniel are looking at an apple pie with oat crumble topping, a pecan pie, and a chocolate French silk pie with heavy cream. 

Also available soon (after the holiday rush): mini-pies with new flavor profiles, and pies by the slice.

Local students distribute pre-Thanksgiving meals in Tompkins Square Park

Last Tuesday, a group of first and second graders from the New Amsterdam School on Avenue B prepared lunches for people in Tompkins Square Park who may need a meal. 

The students started by picking up granola bars, apples and other items from East Village Organic on First Avenue...

Ali Sahin, the owner of C&B cafe on Seventh Street, donated the bread and other sandwich supplies. He also came to the school on the corner of Fifth Street to help the students assemble the sandwiches and create the meals to distribute...

In total, the students created and distributed 50 meals to unhoused people in the Park with the assistance of the school staff...

Thank you to Owen Schiller for the photos.

C&B debuts expanded space on 7th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

As we've been reporting, C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin is expanding his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

And C&B recently debuted the new-look space, which includes the return of the record player (and records!) ... which had to go with the need for more storage in the spring of 2020 ... 

The expanded C&B doesn't include any indoor dining — just increased space for the staff to work as well as a longer to-go counter.

All this makes Ali pretty happy... or maybe it's just the heat!

C&B is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and coffee.

Expanded C&B Cafe nearly ready

As we've been reporting, C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin is expanding his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

The C&B team is getting closer to a grand opening of the combined storefront. EVG contributor Stacie Joy got another in-progress look...

Still to be done, the new freezer installed, the custom cabinets put up and the much-anticipated return of the record player and albums.

Ali showed Stacie the plans on his phone as he pointed out the new pass-through, the marble countertops and subway tiles...

Ali doesn't have any plans for indoor dining — just increased space for him and the team and a longer to-go counter.

You can follow C&B on Instagram for grand-opening details. 

Meanwhile, the original cafe remains open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

C&B Cafe turns 6

A quick — and slightly belated! — happy 6th anniversary to C&B Cafe over at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Chef-owner Ali Sahin's A+ breakfast-lunch-coffee to-go shop opened in late January 2015. 

While it was certainly a challenging year for any local business (C&B's woes included a break-in), Sahin did have plenty to celebrate, including a successful crowdfunding campaign to purchase a new oven, a lease to extend the space into the vacant storefront next door and a headline-grabbing champagne assist as Biden won the presidency. 

Here's to the next six years... 

Photo from April by Stacie Joy

C&B is expanding on 7th Street

In some very positive local business news... C&B chef-owner Ali Sahin plans to expand his cafe into the vacant retail space — the former dry cleaners — next door here at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy reports that, at the moment, Sahin doesn't have any plans for indoor dining — just increased space for him and the team and a longer to-go counter. 

While he has signed a lease on the new storefront, this is a long-term project, as per Sahin, so don't expect to see the expanded space anytime too soon.

Back in the spring, Sahin held a successful fundraiser to buy a larger, more efficient oven for the cafe. Since then, he has been cranking out even more tasty bread. 

C&B opened here in January 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A visit to C&B Cafe on 7th Street

Local cafe owner's champagne assist makes global headlines as Biden captures U.S. presidency

A Reuters photographer captured a moment on Seventh Street this afternoon as C&B Cafe owner Ali Sahin demonstrated his pouring techniques here during a Biden celebration between Avenue A and Avenue B. 

Thanks to the reader for sharing this screengrab!

On 2nd thought, C&B finishes its curbside seating with the help of the DOT

Back on Friday, we noted that C&B Cafe on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B threw in the towel trying to build curbside seating.

As C&B shared on Instagram at the time:

Three different city/state officials came the last four days to give us different information about how we should practice the outdoor dining. Also we have four different emails from DOT about the guidelines suggesting different ways of building the spaces.

However, as EVG correspondent Stacie Joy reports, owner Ali Sahin (pictured above) was able to finish the seating area — with the help and encouragement of the Department of Transportation, the city agency overseeing the Open Restaurants program.

They unveiled the new space on Sunday ... which features planted lavender, rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, pepper plants, tomatoes, dill and other herbs and plants...



C&B is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

C&B foregoes curbside cafe space after city can't seem to decide on outdoor dining guidelines

[Photo via @candbnyc]

We've heard from several frustrated restaurant owners in the neighborhood who abruptly had to change their curbside dining setups at the request of the city — despite following the city's instructions to the letter.

Pete Wells at the Times reported on the mixed messages courtesy of the city back on July 2.

Under an emergency program launched on June 22 to aid the ailing restaurant industry, some 6,800 establishments citywide were authorized to serve food and drinks on sidewalks and curbside spaces.

Inspections have continued this past week, and places such as Il Posto Accanto on Second Street have had to tear apart their solid and previously OK'd curbside dining arrangement – within 24 hours or risk losing their outdoor dining permit.

C&B Cafe on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B posted about their experiences on Instagram yesterday:

This is how the story goes. Three different city/state officials came the last four days to give us different information about how we should practice the outdoor dining. Also we have four different emails from DOT about the guidelines suggesting different ways of building the spaces.

As you can imagine it is time-consuming and expensive to constantly change/build based on new information we get. Since the city is not covering all those expenses and labor we decided to keep the outdoor space as [owner Ali Sahin's] garden. He is going to try and keep these wonderful plants alive for the rest of the summer and hopefully find a permanent home for them once this thing is over.

Sahin decided against fighting the bureaucracy any further as C&B is primarily a takeout space to begin with.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• A second look at Phase II dining in the East Village

A broken window and burglary at C&B Cafe

Someone broke the front window and burglarized C&B Cafe on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B last night... another local small business that was targeted overnight.

Owner Ali Sahin documented the damaged in an Instagram clip this morning. He will have to remain closed today.

View this post on Instagram

The price we pay for freedom, or just a few thieves taking advantage of someone else’s struggle? Well if this is the price we have to pay for human rights, so be it. We are closed today to get things fixed and take some precautions.

A post shared by C&B (@candbnyc) on Jun 1, 2020 at 5:50am PDT

[Updated] A new oven, and a new era at C&B Cafe

[Photo by Dave on 7th]

The new oven for C&B Cafe arrived yesterday here on Seventh Street near Avenue B.

As we've been noting, chef-owner Ali Sahin held a successful fundraiser to buy a larger, more efficient oven for his cafe at 178 E. Seventh St.

To help stay in business during the COVID-19 PAUSE, Sahin had been baking — and selling out of — between 30 to 40 sourdough boule loaves each day. (He also uses the bread for C&B's sandwiches.)

With a new, larger oven, he'll be able to increase his output as well as offer a wider variety of bread.

Stacie Joy stopped by to check out the new oven, which arrived on a truck from Ohio. Before the professional installation commenced, some neighbors from the building next door showed up to help load the oven inside the space.

To make room for it, Sahin did away with the small seating area in the back...









If all goes well, then the oven will be ready to turn on today...



Updated 5 p.m.

Stacie was there today for the official Oven On moment...

Checking in on C&B

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

You might have read about C&B Cafe chef-owner Ali Sahin’s fundraising efforts to buy a new oven for his cafe at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Ali is currently baking about 30 to 40 sourdough boule loaves each day that the restaurant is open. When the new oven arrives (it’s being transported here currently from Ohio) he’ll be able to make many more loaves daily, plus different varieties.







Work has already started to transform the back room into a bread-baking station, with workers updating the electrical panels when I arrive. Ali’s sold the tables and chairs that used to occupy the space to make room for the oven, a workbench and maybe a stand mixer. (Ali’s not sure about that yet well as the limited space.)



He looks crestfallen when he tells me that he might have to remove his much-loved turntable and record collection to create additional storage. Rumor has it he’s already gifted out some albums.



The yeasty, crusty yet airy breads are sold out each day, and they are available by preorder only. If you want the sourdough (and trust me, you want the bread) send Ali a direct message on Instagram or stop by to place an order.

He’s also baking in-house loaves for his to-go sandwiches, with a modified menu that includes his breakfast sammies (available with pork belly when in stock, chorizo or beef sausage when not, plus optional sliced avocado) and a grilled cheese.

C&B is selling its tables and chairs — to make room for a larger oven

[Image via Instagram]

Chef-owner Ali Sahin is selling off the tables and chairs in the back of C&B Cafe at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Details below!)

When restaurants are able to reopen for dine-in service following the COVID-19 crisis, C&B will remain a take-out only spot. However nice it was to sit back there and listen to the cafe's turntable playing some classic jazz, R&B or disco... Sahin has plans for that space.

His bread-making has gotten quite popular, and he is in the process of buying a larger oven with the help of a crowdfunding campaign.

As he noted in the campaign pitch:

I always made homemade bread for the cafe, but since the virus hit I’ve been making 30 loaves a day myself to keep the cafe afloat. What I came to realize is that the cafe needs to adapt in order to survive. I want to bring a bread oven in the back so that I can transform the cafe into a bakery and keep the essential supplies coming for the community, while keeping my own people on their feet.

Here's more from an Instagram post this morning:

It is a strange feeling getting rid of these things that gave more comfort to me the last 5 years than any bed or couch I lay down since I left my parents’ home.

Now I need to make some room for the oven as well as some cosmetic upgrades to the back room. So most of our furniture, and tableware are for sale now. Tables are $50 chairs are $30 each. Plates and bowls are $5. If you really need something like this but can’t afford it I will give you a pair for free.

Sahin has been putting in 80-hour weeks — mostly by himself — to keep C&B afloat during this crisis. He continues to pay his staff, whom he didn't want to put in harm's way by coming to work. One C&B employee did volunteer to return to work. The other C&B staffers continue to get paid.

Meanwhile, Sahin's bank informed him this week that there weren't any funds left for his small business in the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program. Eater yesterday reported on some of the NYC "small" businesses who did receive the loans, including $10 million for Shake Shack and Potbelly. [UPDATED 4/20: Shake Shack is returning the $10 million.]

oh, just a $1.6 billion dollar burger chain getting $10 million in government-loans, and which smaller independent venues got shut out from b/c there isn't any more money left in the program.

no big deal. https://t.co/sZMrv4Dz0c (by @TanayWarerkar)

— ryan sutton (@qualityrye) April 17, 2020

C&B is open Saturday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.